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זֶרַח

𐤆𐤓𐤇

Zerach

H2226 noun

SILEX Entry

Root זרח to rise (like the sun), to shine, to become light

Definition

Proper personal name meaning 'shining, brightness, sunrise.' Used as the name of several individuals in the Hebrew Bible, including a son of Judah (an ancestor of prominent Judahite families), a Simeonite leader, an Edomite clan chief, and the ruler of an invading force from Cush. The semantic field centers on the metaphor of radiance or rising light, but in practice, the term functions primarily as a personal and sometimes clan name.

Semantic Range

personal name; ancestor of Judahite clan; Simeonite leader; Edomite chief; foreign (Cushite) military leader; metaphorically connected to light, brightness, sunrise

Root / Etymology

From the root זרח (z-r-ḥ), meaning 'to rise,' particularly of light, 'to shine, to dawn.' The name is an abstract or participial noun formed from the root, indicating 'shining' or 'brightness.' As a proper name, it carries the sense of one who shines or brings light.

Historical & Contextual Notes

As a personal name, זֶרַח (Zerach) appears in diverse tribal and national associations: as a son of Judah (Genesis 38:30), the ancestor of the Zerahite clan; a leader among the Simeonites (1 Chronicles 4:24); a chief among the Edomites (Genesis 36:13; 36:17); and an African (Cushite) leader opposing Asa (2 Chronicles 14:9–13). The use of the same name in different ethnic and geographic contexts reflects both the attraction of radiant/light metaphors in personal naming and the mobility of such names in the ancient Near East. The later English tradition sometimes refers to Judahite Zerach as 'Zarah,' but this is a transliteration variation and does not reflect biblical usage. The name is distinct from the related verb and does not itself denote sunlight or the act of shining outside its use as a proper name.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

the same as זֶרַח; Zerach, the name of three Israelites, also of an Idumaean and an Ethiopian prince; Zarah, Zerah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

זרח (z-r-ḥ) — to rise, to shine, to dawn, to become light

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2224 זָרַח as shining forth
H2225 זֶרַח your shining-forth
H2227 זַרְחִי the Zerahite
H2228 זְרַחְיָה and Yah-has-shone-forth
H249 אֶזְרָח native-born one

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2226-05 זֶ֔רַח zerach HNp Zerah Shining-One 15
H2226-04 זָֽרַח zarach HNp Zerah Shining-One 2
H2226-01 לְ/זֶ֕רַח lezerach HR/Np of Zerah to Shining-One 2
H2226-02 וָ/זָ֑רַח vazarach HC/Np and Zerah and Shining-One 1
H2226-03 וָ/זֶ֖רַח vazerach HC/Np and Zerah and Shining-One 1

Occurrences in Scripture

21 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2226-03 Genesis 36:13 וָ/זֶ֖רַח vazerach HC/Np and Zerah and Shining-One
H2226-05 Genesis 36:17 זֶ֔רַח zerach HNp Zerah Shining-One
H2226-05 Genesis 36:33 זֶ֖רַח zerach HNp Zerah Shining-One
H2226-04 Genesis 38:30 זָֽרַח zarach HNp Zerah Shining-One
H2226-02 Genesis 46:12 וָ/זָ֑רַח vazarach HC/Np and Zerah and Shining-One
H2226-01 Numbers 26:13 לְ/זֶ֕רַח lezerach HR/Np to Zerah to Shining-One
H2226-01 Numbers 26:20 לְ/זֶ֕רַח lezerach HR/Np of Zerah to Shining-One
H2226-05 Joshua 7:1 זֶ֜רַח zerach HNp Zerah Shining-One
H2226-05 Joshua 7:18 זֶ֖רַח zerach HNp Zerah Shining-One
H2226-05 Joshua 7:24 זֶ֡רַח zerach HNp Zerah Shining-One
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